Scroll down to read more about major global incidents of violence against aid workers from January 1997 - Febraury 2025.

Let’s start by looking at the total number of incidents.


A Note on Unknown or Ambiguous Data

There is a large amount of “Unknown” data seen in the attacks (11.8% to be exact) and ambiguity for the motives. These gaps reflect the challenging environments in which aid workers operate, where the immediate priority is saving lives and responding to crises, not comprehensive data collection. While these limitations reduce analytic precision, they also highlight the need for systems that support rapid response and post-incident reporting without placing additional burden on those in the field.


Below is a map of all the incidents. You can filter by year, motive of attack, and type of attack. To select more than one motive and attack type, hold shift while selecting.






Conclusions and Recommendations

The amount of attacks on aid workers has steady increased since 1997 and each attack is resulting in more people being kidnapped, wounded or killed. In 2024, there were a record number of recorded incidents and affected aid workers. In the 5 countries with the highest number of incidents, aerial bombarment was the most common attack, and also most deadliest attack. Disputed, incidental, and unknown are the main motives recorded for aerial bombardment.

Knowing what the most common type of attack is and the motivations behind it can help aid agencies inform, prepare, and equip aid workers to minimize risk in the field. Agencies operating in high-risk countries should prioritize training protocols and protective measures specifically for aerial bombardments, including shelter access, early-warning systems, and real-time threat monitoring. Policymakers must advocate for stricter enforcement of international humanitarian law and support conflict resolution initiatives that target the root causes of violence. Although there are limitations in the data, the lives of those delivering humanitarian aid can be better protected by knowing where and how aid workers are most at risk, and understanding the recent patterns of violence — even when motives are unclear — and using that knowledge to inform field preparedness, advocacy, and response protocols.


References

All defintions referenced from the Aid Worker Security Database Codebook February 2025

ChatGPT used for code debugging and map functionality

Scrollytelly inspiration from Beyond the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem!, by François Sémécurbe and EURO 2024 Final Scrollytelling Analysis – by Óscar Bartolomé Pato